I've seen posts in prior years of banquet rejects getting together to imbibe beverages and maybe even game while the goody two-shoes hobnob with the Paizo Staff. This year I find myself in that boat and I'm curious who else out there might be interested in an unscheduled one off of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG starting around the same time as the Banquet. If my pitch sounds anti-fun I'm open to playing in your session instead.
The game I want to run will require no foreknowledge of the DCC RPG and will be 0 level with 20 randomly generated characters split up among however many players I can recruit. Expect most/all to die horribly and hilariously before we are done. Any takers?
Hail, adventurers! Treasure and glory await those daring enough to plunder the ruins of the City-Temple of Tsar! Great rewards sit idly in the ancient abandoned temple with naught to guard them but silly superstitions and rumors. Clever fortune hunters need only strap on their largest Bag of Holding and journey a few days north of Bard's Gate, where massive fortune need only be plucked from the decayed hands of the long-dead warriors who perished in that mighty battle between the allied forces of Good and the terrible hordes of Orcus.
Hurry and dilly-dally not! Even now, fellow entrepreneurs tighten their belts and oil their boots to set off and take the riches before you have your chance! Set off post haste and all your dreams will come true!
This advertisement has been paid for by the Subcommittee to Secure the North Road, part of the Bard's Gate Trade Commission. Safety of respondents not assured; the BGTD makes no claim to the authenticity of any claims made about Tsar or the area surrounding Tsar. Proceed at your own risk.
Hi, I'm an experienced GM looking for 2-3 more players for a campaign I will be starting as soon as I get enough players. I'll be running Greg Vaughan's fantastic Slumbering Tsar Saga in all its glory. For those of you not in the know, STS is an exploration campaign running from levels 7 to 20, centered around Tsar, an abandoned city-temple dedicated to Orcus.
This is a difficult campaign as anybody who has played/run one of Mr. Vaughan's published adventures can probably attest. Don't let that scare you off though; the campaign publishes foolish mistakes but is not unfairly cruel. The nature of the campaign, however, does also open the doors for those of you who might want to try out a new character concept that might not be allowed elsewhere. Truly ridiculously cheesy characters are discouraged, but otherwise I am expecting powerful characters. Anything less will not likely survive long.
The players I have so far and I are all mature and social gamers who like to have fun. If you think you can strike a balance between good roleplaying and making a character who can hold his own in combat, you are a candidate. If you like your group to have fun and laugh without getting distracted from the game or goofing off excessively, you are a candidate.
We'll be playing in Redmond and I am open to suggestions. I'm hoping to play every other week on Sundays but anything that works for the whole group is fine by me. Reply to this thread, PM me, or email me me at zuckussand4.lom (at) gmail (dot) com if you are interested, or if you have any questions or comments.
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First, here's the discovery:
d20pfsrd.com wrote:
Vestigial Arm (Ex): The alchemist gains a new arm (left or right) on his torso. The arm is fully under his control and cannot be concealed except with magic or bulky clothing. The arm does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round, though the arm can wield a weapon and make attacks as part of the alchemist’s attack routine (using two-weapon fighting). The arm can manipulate or hold items as well as the alchemist’s original arms (for example, allowing the alchemist to use one hand to wield a weapon, another hand to hold a potion, and the third hand to throw a bomb). The arm has its own “hand” and “ring” magic item slots (though the alchemist can still only wear two rings and two hand magic items at a time). An alchemist may take this discovery up to two times. Source: Ultimate Magic
So here's my question:
If I were to take this discovery twice, would it be rules legal to have, say, an Alchemist with two-weapon fighting swinging around two two-handed weapons? The specific character concept I have in mind is an alchemist/barbarian (or alchemist/fighter, not sure yet) who wields two falchions while raging and under the effects of his mutagen.
I'm thinking I'll start with a level of barbarian, then take two levels of Alchemist. Use my level 2 discovery and my level 3 feat (via Extra Discovery) to have him sprout two extra arms suddenly as a result of his alchemical experimentations.
It probably isn't worth the two level dip and the feat from a mechanical, damage-dealing standpoint, but I really like the imagery involved. If anybody can point out why I shouldn't be able to do this (in a strictly RAW sense) I'll rethink it.
Just wanted to gauge the interest in a Swords & Wizardry Play-by-post game. I'm in the process of adapting the Paizo module Crypt of the Everflame to the S&W rules, and if there's enough interest, would like to recruit some of you fine folk to take the system for a test spin. I'll be using the experience to gauge and adjust my conversion as well, and if everyone is having a good time I may even continue the group through the rest of the Price of Immortality trilogy (and possibly beyond!).
Assuming there is sufficient interest, here's some information:
Player Restrictions: Those who have played or read Crypt of the Everflame need not apply, sorry. I expect the players to be able to post at least once daily, but the more they are able, the merrier.
It's preferred if the players have access to the Swords & Wizardry Complete version of the rules, but not totally necessary. A PDF of the Core version of the rules is available for free HERE and you should be able to get by on them; any instance of conflict between the two will, obviously, be ruled in favor of S&W Complete. Anybody who isn't already familiar with S&W should look at the rules before replying; it's quite a departure from Pathfinder and I don't want to lose players from the shock of finding out exactly how different.
I want to keep the old-school feel that the rules invoke, so we'll be doing stats with 3d6 each in order, re-rolling 3's and 4's. Since characters will be pretty much totally random, I don't expect anybody to post concepts. Just bear in mind that all characters will be youngsters of about 16-18 years old, or their race's equivalent age.
Background on myself: I've got a few years GMing experience under my belt, mostly running various d20 based games. My experience with play-by-post is limited but has been positive; I have not yet played using the Swords & Wizardry system but I'm a pretty quick learner. I can and will post regularly; a desk job with significant down time will allow me to do so.
Has anybody considered moving Spell Combat to 4th level, Spell Strike to 2nd, and Arcane Weapon to 1st? I think this is worth considering.
If Arcane Weapon took effect at 1st level, and improved every 4 levels thereafter, maxing at +5 at level 17, the +1 enhancement bonus would perfectly line up with the levels where the magus' BAB doesn't increase. Eventually they'd fall behind slightly, when +5 weapons become available, but even then they'd get some nifty abilities that they can add to the weapon.
The +1 enhancement bonus would be very good at 1st level. Being able to bypass DR/magic would be extremely useful, but not overpowered, compared to a Fighter with Power Attack and Cleave at level 1, a raging Barbarian with Power Attack, or a Paladin's Smite Evil. It would also help make the Magus more "magical" at low levels before it begins to combine spell casting and melee combat.
This would also move Spell Combat to a level where it's much more usable. As it is, granting it at level 2 is kind of a trap. By level 5 the character has come into her own, had a chance to pick up Combat Casting (and Power Attack and Weapon Focus) and received a much needed stat bump at 4th level.
Spell strike would only be moved to 2nd level to keep it from having an empty level.
I know some will argue that Spell Combat should be granted very early because it's the bread and butter of the class. I think (as do many posters) that it would be far too good an ability if the penalties were removed or lessened, which is the most commonly proposed fix. I'd much rather see it granted later than made too good.
Feedback would be appreciated, but let's keep it civil
Frog God Games, the successor to Necromancer Games, is pleased to announce that effective immediately, Mythmere Games, headed by award-winning author Matt Finch, will be joining up with the Frog God Publishing team to produce even more of the true old-school gaming resources that Necromancer Games and Frog God Games have always been known for.
Matt explained one of the reasons for the agreement as “"There is a large and active community of gamers playing various out-of-print editions of fantasy role-playing games. This alliance is going to be a big leap forward in terms of providing new resources and adventures to those of us who prefer an older-school type of game. It doesn't matter if you're an old-school grognard, a brand-new player, or an experienced gamer trying out this whole 'old-school' thing the internet keeps talking about. You're going to like this".
As a result of this merger, Frog God Games will be publishing the Complete version of the old school, ENnie Award-winning Swords & Wizardry™ fantasy role-playing game, which will be released in November.
“This merger is very much in line with my philosophy on game design, I play an old school game at my table, and have always written and produced books of that genre”, said Bill Webb, CEO of Frog God Games. Frog God Games and its predecessor, Necromancer Games both are known for producing d20 and Pathfinder adventures and sourcebooks with a distinctive “old school” feel. Necromancer, where Bill was partnered with Clark Peterson, produced over 50 books between 1999 and 2007, including Wilderlands of High Fantasy™ (under license to Judges Guild), Gary Gygax’s Necropolis™ and Rappan Athuk, Dungeon of Graves™.
Frog God Games is currently producing adventures to support the Pathfinder™ role-playing system. According to Bill, “This brings together the best of both worlds for me; our material is distinctly old school feel, regardless of the game system. By supporting both formats, I see an opportunity to provide high quality and exciting material to a larger audience. It’s a win for the gaming community.”
Frog God Games will now produce game supplements for both the Swords and Wizardry™ game and for the Pathfinder Game™ (published by Paizo Publishing of Bellevue WA).Swords & Wizardry builds and supports free-form role-playing games.That is to say, games where “light” rules create a framework instead of trying to cover every detail, every rule, and every situation. Over 30 books are currently in production for release in 2010 and 2011.
Matt explained , “There are a lot of gamers out there who are using out-of-print rules quite happily, or who have a vague feeling that they lost some of the game's spirit over the years and don't know how it happened. And then there's the thriving community of old-school gamers on the internet, who have been powering forward for years. I think this new development is going to take us to critical mass. With an old-school game like Swords & Wizardry breaking into the mainstream, with all the power of Frog God Games behind it, I believe that all these three gamer-communities are about to connect. This is when the thunder starts to roll.”.
The Swords & Wizardry game “clones” the original rules of the fantasy role-playing game that started it all back in 1974, when it was published by Gary Gygax and DaveArneson. Part of the reason for the merger was to expand distribution and enhance production quality by involvement of a larger company. Matt described this as, “a step that has been developing for years, as the old-school community has grown larger and larger, supported by more and more gamers, and, increasingly, even by publishers. And this is the point where it all reaches critical mass, I think. Frog God Games has the resources and the high profile to introduce this particular style of gaming back into the mainstream."
Most previously existing products created by Mythmere Games, including Knockspell Magazine™ will continue to be produced and distributed by Black Blade Publishing (http://black-blade-publishing.com/Store.aspx).
Distribution and publication of the Swords and Wizardry Core Rules will continue through Black Blade and other sources, and will be compatible with the Swords & Wizardry Complete Rulebook to be released in November by Frog God Games along with a full supporting line of adventure modules and other resources for the game.
...and a few posts with more details from the S&W forums:
Mythmere wrote:
It includes the ranger from SR, the paladin, thief, druid, assassin - character classes from the supplements. Still no illusionist, though, which was disappointing, but the SR illusionist just couldn't legally be duplicated. The game still runs on the 0e rules, not 1e. It includes two optional alternative order of combat systems in addition to the standard one from the WhiteBox era: the one from the Holmes Blue Book and one that's based on the EW system. Those are the main differences, although there are little things like adding strength modifiers to the amount of weight that can be carried, ala Supplement 1, etc. Virtually all of the additions are in the player section, not the referee section. It's compatible with the Core Rules, and the Core Rules will stay in place as the archetypal "three class" system.
There is a huge number of modules being written for this. Huge.
I'm majorly excited about this. I've been picking up S&W for a while now, but now I've got good reason to hold out until November. With the added classes and expanded module support, Swords & Wizardry are poised to become my primary alternative to Pathfinder, for those nights when one person can't make it or when we want to do something different as a break from the campaign.
Subject says it all, really. Has anybody else considered it? For roleplay purposes, I (and the other players in my group) are all taking Leadership in our Kingmaker game. In my case, I'm recruiting a family member to give a cushy position to in our fledgling government.
Considering we have no wizard (group composition is Human Fighter, Half-Orc Ranger, Gnome Sorcerer, Gnome Bard, Elf Cleric) and especially nobody interested in crafting, I figured relatively cheap access to custom magic items would be a boon to all of us.
The reason I want summoner is that I like the idea of a summoner/eidolon pair who focus their talents around a workshop, with the medium sized eidolon with the higher strength smithing the actual items, which the Gnome summoner then enchants.
Using 20-point buy, I can start with these stats:
Str 8-2
Dex 10
Con 12+2
Int 17
Wis 12
Cha 14+2
I put the level 4 bump into intelligence for 18 intelligence. Feats taken are Skill Focus (Spellcraft) at level 1, Magical Aptitude at level 3, and Craft Magical Arms and Armor at level 5, with other item creation feats following thereafter.
At level 5 (party will be level 7) his bonus to Spellcraft will be:
+4 Intelligence
+5 Ranks
+3 Trained Class Skill
+3 Skill Focus
+2 Magical Aptitude
+17 total should be plenty to reliably make some level appropriate items for the party.
The Eidolon will (as soon as it's able) take Master Craftsman, then Craft Wondrous Item, then Cooperative Crafting. With the Ability Increase and Skilled evolutions it could create magical items on its own, albeit limited to Wondrous Items and it wouldn't be as good as the Summoner. Or for the really difficult jobs, it could aid the summoner for +2 to his skill when they work as a team, also reducing the time needed by half.
Of course this is far from optimal for combat. The Eidolon would have some limited power, and the Summoner would be limited heavily by his unusual spell selection, which would be tailored toward crafting useful items.
When the pair do decide to leave the workshop, they'll definitely need to be cautious, but I'm curious what others think of the idea.
(Edit: I intend my eidolon to look similar to the Nu enemy from Chrono Trigger, possibly with 4 arms (evolution pool allowing))
Just thought I'd share that, as a player (NOT GM FOR ONCE!!!) in a friends' Kingmaker game, I've started up a blog to post in-character journal entries as I go through the adventure path. I'm in the process of catching the journal up to the events of our last session, and once that is done I'll be keeping it up to date as we go through.
Thought some of you out there might like seeing the world through the eyes of a young Gnome sorcerer with a penchant for self-importance, naivete, and practical jokes.
Hi just posting to see what kinds of ideas I can get for making an unarmed fighter/barbarian. The reason behind it is that a friend of mine is thinking about starting up a game with a heavy time traveling theme, so (if it works the way it's looking) we'll have a Dwarf artificer from the distant future, a Spartan-type fighter from the Bronze Age, a Renaissance age Chronomancer (converted from the 2nd edition book) and myself, a prehistoric cave man.
I'm looking forward to playing the game, which was thought up after the brother of the GM-to-be brother started playing Chrono Trigger.
Let me preface this by saying that I know this will be a suboptimal character and that's not a problem. I do, however, intend to make it work as best I can so I'm looking for help.
Using 20 point buy, what I'm considering right now is looking like:
I'm trying to avoid cheesy dumping, so any suggestions for stats please keep that in mind.
I think I'll start as a first level Human Barbarian, taking Improved Unarmed Strike and Hammer Fist as my feats. Hammer Fist lets me gain 2h weapon bonuses from things like strength and power attack with unarmed strikes.
Disclaimer: I'm unsure if this belongs here or in the OGL/d20 section, as most of these books will probably be written for d20 but I intend to use them with Pathfinder. Anyway....
I've been reading up on a bunch of monster books lately. I enjoy them, both for the options they present me and because it's just plain cool to flip through books and read about tons of horrible, grotesque, interesting, or bizarre creatures. I know at least one other gamer who has bought a Monster Manual-type book with no intention to use it other than for his personal enjoyment, so I can't be alone here.
As a relatively new gamer who missed most of the 3pp stuff in the last few years, I am now armed with tax return money and looking to buy some books.
I prefer print products to PDFs, because I like having them on my book shelf for me to peruse on a whim and because I haven't folded and bought an e-reader just yet.
Books that I have:
3.5 Monster Manual I and II
Pathfinder Bestiary
Books I am considering:
Monster Manual III through V
Sword and Sorcery's Creature Collection books, 1 through 3
Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary
Necromancer Games' Tome of Horrors 1 through 3
For the ToH, I'm holding out and hoping that they'll be available through Lulu sometime soon. I understand the ball on that is rolling so hopefully patience there will pay off.
Any other recommendations for d20/OGL monster books? Any recommendations or reservations on the ones I'm considering? Let's see if we can get a good list going for others like me who are looking to pick up the good ones they might've missed.
I'm leaving later tonight to drive with my wife, brother, and mom up to Tacoma, Washington, for a wedding this weekend. I'll have at least two days to kill while up there, and I'm curious if anybody from the greater Seattle area has any suggestions for interesting things to see or do.
Are there any interesting or impressive games/hobbies stores worth checking out? My wife, brother, and I collectively play a wide range of games, from board games, to a handful of RPGs, to Magic: The Gathering, to Warhammer (fantasy and 40k), so all sorts of games stores would be a good way to pass an hour or so.
Budget isn't super tight, but I'm cheap in general and prefer not to blow my savings. Any and all recommendations are welcome, because if we don't find ways to fill our time I'm afraid I'm just going to spend the weekend reading through Stolen Lands a few times.
Oh, also, if any of you want to, feel free to add me as a friend on Windows Live Messenger, my handle is the same as it is here (w0nkothesane), with @hotmail.com tacked onto the end. I won't be on much in the next couple of days, but Sunday through Thursday I'm normally on all week while at work.
Fellow Free Citizen,
Warm greetings on this cold Desnu morn. This city’s chill and squalor does not agree with me, and each day I see the Council bow to slavers and oppressors, my heart sickens. We must do better, we can do better. It all begins with you, my friend. We have become interested in a man named Yargos Gill. Although he’s not much to look at, Yargos is an important voice of the common man in Absalom’s underclass. He is well educated, but he prefers to live among the downtrodden in that wasteland called the Puddles District. He’s also more virtuous than most give him credit for. The Eagle Knights of Andoran have identified Yargos as important to Absalom’s future destiny as a free and independent state of the people. If you find Yargos, above all, make sure you keep him alive. Please do your best to aid him thereafter, and secretly pass along the message that the Eagle Knights will be there for him when he needs them. Purport yourself well and do nothing to besmirch our reputation as beacons of freedom. One day Yargos will be vitally important to the future of Absalom. We wish you to gain his trust so as best to aid him in his cause. Many thanks for your assistance in this matter. As always, I am in your debt.
Sincerely,
Captain Colson Maldris
Cheliax Faction Handout:
Her Majestrix’s Most Loyal Servant,
Asmodeus’s dark blessings upon you. Your service to his smoking altar does you great honor and advances the glory of Cheliax. Your devotion has not gone unnoticed, and I must say I am intrigued by you. I have a task of dire import—I have chosen to entrust it to you. Her Majestrix’s interest is piqued concerning the reports of strange undead roaming Absalom’s notorious slum—the Puddles District. Early reports suggest that these strange mist-walkers are animated not by necromancy alone, but by the power of oaths given during their former lives. Our diabolic patrons decree these strange undead merit further study, in case this knowledge leads to a new source of power over mortal souls. Your mission is to obtain an intact skull of one of these undead assassins and secret it back to Cheliax. You must also uncover just what was the oath that these undead killers took. If you succeed, a slew of fresh souls will be tied to Asmodeus’s great purpose. As always, keep your mission in utmost confidence—tell no one. Your service to the Dark One is best done in whispers and shadows. Report back to me when it is done, and I shall reward you, perhaps with an invitation to my next exclusive party… or better yet, a private audience in the boudoir. I think I might enjoy that.
Achingly Yours,
Paracountess Zarta Dralneenj
Osirion Faction Handout:
Honored Subject of the Ruby Prince,
I trust this correspondence finds you well. As always, you have the gratitude of my ancestors and myself for your continued service to Sothis. Dark times are upon this city, and undead walk the streets in the misty hours of the night. Worse, a spectre from our past also rears its head.
Centuries ago, Osirion’s food supply was plagued by a horrible poison called Gut Wither, a war-manufactured toxin brought over from Qadira to further weaken Osiron’s delicate agricultural base. To protect the populace, the then ruling sultans waged a lengthy campaign to ensure that Gut Wither was stamped out and the secrets of its creation were destroyed. Our seers have advised that whoever these undead, mist-walking assassins within Absalom are, they somehow have obtained a chest containing a small supply of Gut Wither, perhaps left over from a forgotten age. I’m asking ask you to track down their supply and bring us a vial of this terrible concoction. The famine days cannot return to our gloried land.
In All Sincerity,
Amenopheus, The Sapphire Sage
Qadiran Faction Handout:
Servant of the Satrap,
Trade is such a fickle thing. It is like the tenacious relations of a man and woman: they touch, caress, and hope to form a lasting bond borne out of a single night drunk on passion. Absalom is the best lover Katheer has known in a long while. Trade with the city keeps the flow of gold into our Satrap’s coffers strong and steady. Sadly, a recent development jeopardizes this most profitable relationship. Our agents suspect that the appearance of strange undead skulking through the mists of the Puddle District in Absalom bear relation to an incident called the “Silent Tide,” a failed Taldan invasion plan. While the Silent Tide is Taldor’s embarrassing debacle, the secret truth is that our satrapy also made a tidy profit off of the entire episode by supplying weapons to an outfit called Black Echelon, the Taldan saboteurs hidden inside the city. At the time, this seemed a wise and profitable venture, paving the way for trade with our often-enemies to the North.
It would be best if our part in this invasion stays buried. Given Qadira’s renewed economic interests in Absalom, it would be embarrassing, to say the least, to be revealed as a historic enemy of the city. With your help, this embarrassment will remain Taldor’s alone. Cover up the evidence of our involvement. If these specters still carry weapons from our lands, be sure to destroy as many as you can. Do not draw attention to yourself by recklessly destroying them all. If you can make them all disappear, quietly, that will serve our needs as well. As always, you will be compensated; the Satrap showers the loyal with gold.
Kind Regards,
Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri
Taldor Faction Handout:
Agent of the Empire,
Your rarified services are once again required. I shall not bore you with obfuscation or frivolity. We have acted against Absalom
on myriad occasions and failed with each passing stroke. Apparently this new terror of undead in that ever so deplorable Puddles
District is a remnant of one of our more infamous disappointments.
The undead’s weaponry, distinctive curved sickles, match the sickles once used by Black Echelon. Black Echelon was the rather
ostentatious name of our hidden agents and saboteurs ordered to attack Absalom from within its walls as part of the “Silent Tide,”
an embarrassing and ill-conceived invasion plan we hatched several centuries ago. In advance of the failed attack, we hid a secret
cache of magic wands somewhere within the heart of Absalom for Black Echelon’s use when the time was right. As the Silent Tide
turned out to be an utter boondoggle, the wand cache was never claimed. We believe Absalom’s authorities never uncovered the
cache and the valuable wands remain hidden, their location now lost to time.
With this return of Black Echelon from beyond the pale, we are calling upon you to keep an eye out for any clues as to the
whereabouts of the wand cache. Relay your findings back to us so that we can send a second team to recover the wands. It is believed
that a map to the wand cache was hidden on the last page of a codebook that contained the secret signals to direct the Silent Tide
invasion. If you can find the book, steal or copy the last page and bring it to me.
Do so and you shall be suitably rewarded.
My Sincere Gratitude,
Baron Jacquo Dalsine
I've noticed a few posts with players looking for PbP games to join, so I figure now is as good a time as any to give some players an opportunity to dust off their PFS characters and bring them onto the forums.
I'm considering starting a series of Pathfinder Society play-by-post games here on the forums, and I'm curious about how much interest there is out there.
I'll give the disclaimer up front that I've never DMed a play-by-post game, but I do have experience DMing in homebrew settings, Pathfinder APs, and one Society game. I might break a rule on accident every once in a while, but if the rules are clear and somebody points it out I will be flexible and correct my mistake.
What I'd like to see is:
1) People who are interested in playing and able to post regularly.
2) The character(s) those people intend to use, preferably as an up-to-date profile here on the forums.
3) Which Scenarios you have played and which ones you're itching to play.
If I can get a nice group of 4-6 people together who can agree on a scenario/tier, I intend to start it by mid-month. When the scenario is completed, I can email, fax, or snail-mail a Chronicle to you, depending on preference.
I recently purchased Starblazer Adventures with the intent to read through it and consider it as an alternative to the various editions of the Star Wars RPG.
I'm still not done with the book but it really strikes me how well these mechanics fit the nature of Star Wars. In particular, reading through the Skills chapter and the Stunts chapter, I was amazed how many scenes in the original trilogy work perfectly using these mechanics.
A perfect example is the "declaration action" mechanic. This lets a player use an appropriate skill to propose a piece of knowledge to the Storyteller (AKA GM), who (assuming he approves it) then sets a difficulty based on how likely it is and lets the player make a roll with that skill. The players proposed idea then becomes fact.
This reminds me of the Battle of Yavin, where Rebellion engineers and scientists analyze the schematics of the Death Star and find it's one weakness. In Starblazer, the characters used either their Starship Mechanic or their Engineering skill to make a declaration action, that they think the Death Star's one weakness would be a duct that leads straight to the core. The 'GM' thought this was a cool idea, and let them roll against a relatively low DC. They succeed and it works out!
Another mechanic that seemed built for movies is one particular aspect of the Deception skill. With the proper Stunt (think feats) a character can go 'off screen' and their player stops playing while their character goes under cover. You don't have to declare where you actually go, just that you aren't with the other characters. From then out, at any point you want, you may pick any unnamed NPC and declare that he is actually you, in disguise.
This invoked the beginning of Return of the Jedi for me. Luke shows up, defeats the rancor, but then is capture. But lo! he's in luck, because Leia and Lando both went under cover and are, in fact, already there to save his skin not long thereafter.
The book has me really excited to start using this system for Star Wars. Anybody else have a chance to use this system? I'm also going to be developing skills to introduce The Force into the mechanics, but I think that should be really easy to do. I'll post specific ideas I have on that idea later on.
Thinking about picking this up, probably will use it initially to play a Star Wars campaign. I'd like to throw my heavily optimizing, d20-accustomed group for a loop and drop them into a game with completely different mechanics and feel but in a setting they all know and love.
Hopefully that combination of knowledge of the setting and lack of knowledge about the mechanics will lead to some fun, spontaneous roleplaying!
Anybody who has played or at least read this out there? I'm curious about how well it might fit my needs.
I'm thinking of drafting a campaign based loosely around the plot of Earthbound. I've got four friends who've never played the game and I think it could make for an interesting tabletop campaign.
I'm curious how you Paizoans out there would fit this to mechanics. I've got a few options out there. First, an extremely short breakdown of the main characters:
Ness - Good at close combat with a baseball bat, but also able to use supportive PSI abilities and a single offensive PSI ability.
Paula - Powerful offensive PSI abilities, with a small number of supportive PSI powers.
Jeff - Child prodigy, extremely good with technology and gadgets.
Poo - Martial arts master, able to use limited PSI powers.
Now we have to keep in mind that these are all children. I could try this using Pathfinder rules, in which Ness would probably be a cleric, Paula a sorcerer (or psion if I want), Jeff could be an artificer or alchemist, and Poo would be a monk.
In that case, I would adopt the rules of whatever system we play to more closely resemble a videogame. For example, TPKs wouldn't happen, instead it would be Total Party Knock-Outs in which the group wakes up in a hospital bed, missing either XP, GP, or a little of both.
I'm also looking at the Grimm system. It has an assumed setting but I'm guessing I could adapt it. It assumes that all of the PCs are children, which is a plus. I'd have to look at the rules.
Anybody have any ideas for other possible systems that might fit the Earthbound world? I might make a (very rough and probably poorly formatted) PDF out of the adventure outline if there's any interest, and if I actually get around to doing the whole thing without getting distracted by some other campaign idea.
After a recent conversion of my Eberron campaign (running the Forgotten Forge series of modules) from 4th edition to PFRPG, my wife decided that rather than competing with two other arcane casters for equipment and spotlight time, she wanted to try a different character.
She is ditching a Changeling rogue 1/illusionist 2, who was going to go for Arcane Trickster. The character has been posing as a Gnome Illusionist for literally the entire campaign, and none of the other character suspect a thing. The gnome persona she is portraying is an extremely bubbly and curious gnome and I think the other characters long ago dismissed her as harmless, something I intend to remedy.
They are approaching the end of the Shadows of the Last War module. For those not familiar with it,
Spoiler:
at the very end of the module, Garrow, a changeling necromancer who disguises himself as a vampire, shows up with a lot of guards, robs the PCs of the schema they just finally found, and then orders some of his men to attack while he flees. Normally, the PCs have a copy of the schema, which clever players will give to Garrow to drive him off and then they defeat the weak remaining troops and make off with the real schema.
I've already introduced her new character and taken control of Fenn (or Winky the gnome, as the group knows her) and plan on her betraying the group.
I have a few ideas for how to do this.
First, I could have her
Spoiler:
betray the group, joining Garrow and negating the PC's ability to keep the real schema hidden from him.
This makes her easy to incorporate into the rest of the campaign, with her arriving essentially whenever he or any group he might command does.
Or, I could have her be an agent of the Cabinet of Faces, spying on the goings-on of House Cannith. Once
Spoiler:
Garrow springs his ambush and takes the fake schema she waits until that night and steals the real schema and possibly leaves a note wishing the group goodbye.
This introduces yet another faction into an already complicated equation and gives me more of an expansion option, should they ever decide to try to exact revenge on her or the group she works for.
Those are the two I've come up with. Anybody else have an interesting ideas for how to make this truly memorable for my players? I want them to be talking about how this for years.
I'm not sure how many others there are out there, but I'd love an opportunity to pick up the full Rise of the Runelords AP. Does Paizo have any plans to reprint adventure paths after they've sold out?
Some of the issues are still available, but I hesitate to start buying them from fear that I'll never be able to get #1 or #3.
They can be found on Amazon and Ebay used at ridiculous prices. I'm not concerned with the collectors value, I just want to be able to run them.
I'm also not concerned with them being updated to PRPG rules. That would be a bonus, but not required for me to purchase it.
As a relatively new gamer (almost two years under my belt now) I didn't start running games until a little less than a year ago. I didn't find Paizo until a couple months before the Pathfinder RPG released.
Any chance for some love for those of us who didn't find this fantastic community and company until recently?
To a limited degree, a lot of my regular players tend to play the same character over and over. Some are more extreme than others- while one always plays the same exact character in every way except name, another will play the same archetype or two repeatedly. Others mix up their race and class, but usually have a similar personality and combat strategy.
I myself am guilty of this, but I'm running the game, not playing in it, so they're gonna have to do as I say, not as I do. :p
Anyway, we're running a campaign now, which should last at least a few more months, but I'm always looking to the future and trying to come up with ideas. The next campaign I think will be the Shackled City AP, mainly because I just got a shiny hardcover volume of it at half price (thank you Paizo!).
I'm curious about how others encourage people to play characters very different from themselves and from what they typically play. I've given thought to a few ways. I'm hesitant to hand out characters that I made and tell them to deal with it; they're a flexible and fun-loving bunch but some of them are really attached to what they play.
Hi, all. I'm a fairly new GM (gaming for about a year and a half, GMing for most of that) and I'm currently looking for more players for my 1-2 times monthly Pathfinder Society game held in Ukiah, California.
We're square in the middle of Mendocino County and all comers are welcome- the more the better. We held out first session recently and I am going to be running another on January 16th, starting at 4:30PM.
The location is Crossover Comics and Games, our FLGS, and walk-ins are very much welcome. Our first game had a good turn-out of 5 players, but not all will be available for every session, so I encourage anybody in the area (or willing to drive there) to join us next month for PS #4, The Frozen Fingers of Midnight.
We had our first session this last Saturday, I'm in the process of goading the late-comers into getting their Society accounts set up so I can report it.
Had a lot of fun, with the PCs almost going down to the first fight in the Mists of Mwangi due to horrible dice luck. After some more exploration and paranoia, two of the group succumbed to the mists' influence and were only barely able to maintain control over themselves long enough to defeat the source of the problem!
We'll be playing the follow-up, Voice in the Void, next month, and still have room for more players! New comers are welcome, help us get our Northern California gaming scene active!
There's a player joining an Eberron game I run who has a very strong, well-defined character concept, but little-to-no experience with D&D/PFRPG. As such, I volunteered to help him find the mechanics that work for his concept.
He really wants to play a barbaric voodoo-practicing type, escaped from slavery at the hands of the Xen'drik Drow. He is a poison user and prefers if he could to deliver the poison through blowgun darts.
I'm wondering how effective poison is at higher levels. I'm thinking Rogue for 5 levels, then go into Assassin, seems pretty clear. I'll also probably allow some of the poison feats from Green Ronin's Assassin's Handbook, which should help keep the poisons at least somewhat more viable at the mid-to-higher levels.
Sure, the blowgun does absolutely terrible damage, but if he combines that with a poisoned (ritualistic, of course) dagger to get in backstabs, it might help to make up for it in combination with poison effects. The rules don't say anything about how long it would take to reload the blowgun, so I'll probably let him do it as if it were knocking an arrow.
I'm trying to accommodate his concept, and any suggestions for doing so are appreciated. It's a fairly large group (6 players total) and a lot of them have at least one hand in the magic pot, so I prefer to keep him away from that angle, although a voodoo magic wizard necromancer/undead bloodline sorcerer may very well fit the idea as well.
I recently bought the Green Ronin Testament d20 book for a friend of mine, who plays in my Eberron group. I'm not religious (agnostic, prefer to keep religious discussions out of this thread if possible) and thus, am not especially familiar with the Bible. This makes coming up with any kind of campaign for the game fairly difficult.
He's got a pretty good sense of humor, and although he isn't super vocal about his beliefs, they are strong. He also has a bachelor's degree in history, and one of his foci in his studies were ancient Hebrew culture. He's really intent on playing this game, and as his regular DM and the person who bought the gift, he wants me to run a game.
My concept is fairly simple. The group starts with a few levels under their belts, three of them being figures in a small unnamed town, elders respected by all. These three are some combination of Druid, Paladin, Cleric, and Diviner wizard, possibly with setting-specific classes thrown into the mix.
They are brought together, as the three village elders, by an omen of a bright star burning in the sky. They meet, consulting with holy divinations to conclude that they need to travel to several nearby locations, questing for a valuable golden statue, powerful and holy incense, and a rare resinous material known as "myrrh" to present to the newly-born King of Kings. The myrrh would need to be gathered in Yemen (according to Wikipedia, that is where it would have to be gathered Biblically), while the frankincense would require them to earn the trust of a renowned Rabbi to earn a portion of his rare holy incense, and the gold would probably be some sort of "D&D"ish dungeon crawl to recover a lost artifact of religious significance.
The could potentially be accompanied by a young bard, who specializes in drum instruments, who also wishes to pay humble respects to the newborn child, and possibly another villager who could act as a guide (ranger), guard (fighter-type), et cetera, to work in character types that don't fit the three wise men.
I don't claim intimate knowledge of the story of the three wise men, but there could be a small political intrigue portion tied into King Herod when they meet him in Jerusalem. They then set out for Bethlehem to present their gifts.
If it doesn't seem too over-the-top I could tie King Herod into a shared vision they have on the eve before reaching Bethlehem, with a dark beast (AKA 'final boss' of the campaign, but also representing King Herod's ill intent) that, once defeated (in their dream), turns out to be King Herod, thus giving them a warning not to return to him as he requested.
The campaign finally ends with them presenting their gifts to the son of God.
As a concept, I think it is tied into the setting just enough that it's distinctly Biblical, and assuming that the players try to be serious about it, it shouldn't be too horribly sacrilegious or offensive. He's a pretty open-minded guy, and I'm going to present him with the general concept later today to see what he thinks.
What do you think of it? Anybody more strongly anchored in Christianity (or Judaism or Islam for that matter) have any feedback or suggestions? I'd really like to keep this constructive because I'm trying hard not to be offensive, but still come up with a campaign that would be fun to play and distinct.
I'm playing a Cleric of Cayden Cailean in an upcoming game, and I was planing on taking the Chevalier PrC from Pathfinder #14, Children of the Void from Second Darkness.
It's essentially a chaotic good take on a paladin, limited to 3 levels. I like the flavor and the mechanics fit what I'm going for.
Speaking of which, what I'm going for is to get heavy armor proficiency, full plate, and to focus mainly on combat. The only non-combat feat I especially want to take is Extra Channel (at 1st level due to only 12 charisma from being a Dwarf).
Anyway, we're changing the requirements for the class more than the conversion guide would have us do. The DM and I agree that the BAB +6 requirement is pretty limiting for a cleric or bard (the classes it seems to be designed for) and so we're lowering that to +3 or +4, and adding a feat to the requirements.
The idea is to bring it more in line with the Inheritor's Crusader from the Sixfold Trials, which is available at a lower level but has more numerous requirements.
I'm trying to find a decent feat that really leads into the class and would work as a prerequisite. I'm allowed to look for it through essentially any WotC 3.5 books, and the DM is flexible if it's an OGL book here on Paizo. Any suggestions?
I'm relatively new to Paizo, and as such, there is a pretty large back catalog of Pathfinder Chronicles that I don't have. I love reading up on campaign settings, and what I've seen of them so far seems to have just the right balance of 'fluff' and crunch. I'd love to get my hands on the material they've been putting out, but with over 20 issues out, it'll be quite a while before I can complete the collection with my wife-imposed $40/paycheck limit on RPG stuff.
So my question is, does Paizo ever plan to release a compilation of the material here? Or if not, is that going to be included when the update and reprint the Pathfinder Chronicles CS? Are there any methods to get all that goodness short of buying each issue?
I couldn't find any older topics that answered this question, so here goes. Last night we started a new game, and one of the other players is a Monk. He really likes the class. Everybody in the group is either brand new to 3.x, or hasn't played it in a few years, and so we're unsure about just one thing.
The monk player seems to think that, if he wields two weapons, then at level 1 he gets 3 attacks total for a FRA. He whacks something with his quarterstaff, gets a 2nd attack from "dual wielding" with a third granted by flurry of blows.
His reasoning is that he would get two attacks normally without using flurry of blows, and adding flurry of blows grants him another attack, at the improved BAB.
My reasoning is that without FOB, he'd get two attacks at -4/-8, but with FOB he gets to use his monk level as BAB, and the effects of the TWF feat, which combine to a total of -1/-1 (as on the table).
Can somebody confirm this? I didn't say anything about it for the first session, because I wanted to be sure before opening my fat mouth and looking like a jerk.
That is my question. I'm starting my first Pathfinder group (as a player anyway) tomorrow night. The others in the group are playing a Human Monk, Human Druid, and Human Bard. I've got a few character ideas that I've been waiting to try, but I'm not sure which to go with.
What are other people's experiences with groups that have members who can heal, but without a primary healer? One idea is a cleric of Gozreh, stuck in Westcrown for months because of poor luck and a mix up with the law. I'm also considering a wizard/fighter/arcane archer, or a straight sorcerer.
I just started up a Council of Thieves campaign with three friends, and am looking at playing a character that eventually goes Arcane Archer. At the moment, he's looking like he'll end up being Wizard 1/Fighter 9/Arcane Archer 10 or Wizard 1/Fighter 8/Arcane Archer 10/Eldritch Knight 1.
At first level, he's a half-elf wizard, masterwork composite bow (14 str required) as his bonded item, transmutation school specialization. My stats after racial modifiers look something like:
Str 14
Dex 17 (see below)
Con 12
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 8
We rolled stats, and I'm using my transmutation enhancement bonus to bump dex up to 18. I took Point Blank Shot at level 1.
I intend to take Master Craftsman and Craft Magical Arms and Armour, for character backstory reasons. Otherwise, what are some recommended feats?
He'll definitely be focusing on the archery part of arcane archer as opposed to the wizardry part. From what I've ready, a casting focused A.A. seems like it would end up being pretty weak all around, due mainly to loss of caster levels.
As such, I plan on taking a pretty straightforward route of Wizard at 1st, Fighter 2nd-7th, A.A. 8th-17th, then finish with fighter and possibly a level of EK. Any other builds are very welcome, although I've got to say I don't feel that Ranger fits my character and as such, I'd like to stay away from Ranger.
Yet another question for you magnificent rules pros out there:
How do class skills interact with multiclassing? Say I'm making a fighter/wizard, and at first level I start off just as a wizard. I spend my skills as normal, but come up short on ranks (don't we all...) for Knowledge skills. Picking one at random, I'll say I want him to be able to make Knowledge (Religion) checks.
At second level, can I put a rank into Knowledge (Religion) and still gain the +3 for it being a class skill, even though it's a Wizard CS and not a Fighter's?
This isn't a huge deal for me, but the answer might affect when the character takes levels of which class. Thanks as always for being so helpful.
I've read and re-read the rules several times, but I'm still pretty sure I'm missing something here. In an upcoming game I'll be playing a bowyer who gets drawn into the life of an adventurer against his free will. Naturally, he'll continue to practice his craft with his down time, and eventually will begin creating magic items.
Can somebody walk me through the process, cost, and skill checks required to create a magic bow and/or some magic arrows? Your help is greatly appreciated.
After looking at a few threads, I found a lot of good ideas, but nowhere where they were compiled and fully explained, so I decided to try my hand at piecing together an Artificer conversion. A lot of this is taken from other conversions, converted from the Eberron Campaign Setting book, or based on ideas from other threads/individuals. I'm looking for critique so please let me know if you think this is too powerful, too plain, et cetera.
FYI, I run an Eberron campaign that is on the verge of making the leap (from 4th edition) into Pathfinder and I wanted the Artificer player to have comparable options to the rest of the group, so here's what I've got:
Class Skills: Appraise, Craft, Disable Device, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, Perfeption, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device.
Skill Points: 4 + intelligence modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Artificers are proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).
Infusion: An artificer is not a spellcaster, but he does have the ability to imbue magical infusions. Infusions are neither arcane nor divine; they are drawn from the Aether. They function just like spells and follow all the rules for spells. I intend to come up with an Infusion list based on Pathfinder spells, but at this point am too lazy to do so. I intend to do it as the player progresses, consulting him (as a DM himself and a very reasonable player) for what he thinks would make sense for the list, and what spell level it should appear as on the list.
Class Features
Bonus Feats: Any time an Artificer gains a bonus feat, he can choose any item creation or metamagic feat, or from the following list. He must meet all prerequisites for the feat, but he uses his Artificer level as his caster level for Metamagic and Item Crafting feat requisites. Bonus feats: Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Deft Hands, Eschew Materials, Magical Aptitude, Skill Focus (Disable Device), Skill Focus (Use Magical Device), Skill Focus (Spellcraft)Another conversion had the artificer getting a bonus feat at every odd level, while yet another one had them getting the item creation feats as bonus feats as they become available. I figure this alternative gives flexibility while sticking to the flavor of the class)
Artificer Knowledge (- Allows the Artificer to use Detect Magic and Read Magic at-will as a spell-like ability.lifted from another conversion
Artisan bonus - +2 to Use Magic Device for any kind of item for which he has the prerequisite item creation feat.
Disable Traps - The Artificer is able to use Perception to locate traps, and Disable Device to disarm magic traps. Forgive my noob-ishness, but can somebody explain to me how this is A) different from a rogue, and B) different from any other class?
Item Creation - Can create a magic item even if he doesn't have the spell that is used for it. Must make Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell. Caster level for item creation is equal to the your Artificer level.
Artificer Domain (Ex) - At 1st level, the Artificer gains access to the Clerics Artificer Domain. His effect Cleric level is equal to his caster level for these powers, and uses Intelligence in place of Wisdom for determining how many times he can use Artificer's Touch. He only gains the spell-like abilities from this domain.
Craft Homunculus (Ex): At 4th level, an artificer can create a homunculus. He must emulate the spell requirements (arcane eye, mending, and mirror image) as normal for making a magic item, and he must pay the usual cost of 1440gp (though he can spend points from his craft reserve). An artificer can also upgrade an existing homunculus that he owns, adding 1 Hit Die at a cost of 2,800 gp.
If an artificer gives his homunculus more than 6 Hit Dice, it becomes a Small creature and advances as described in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. The homunculus also gains 10 extra hit points for being a Small construct. An artificer’s homunculus can have as many Hit Dice as its master’s Hit Dice minus 2. No matter how many Hit Dice it has, a homunculus never grows larger than Small.
Retain Essence (Su): At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the essence from a magic item and use those points to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer adds 50% of the gp it took to create the item to his craft reserve. These points are lost if the artificer does not use them before gaining his next level. At 9th level, the artificer can salvage 75% of the value, and at 13th level he can salvage the items full value. Essentially just converted the xp cost into gp, and added the progression from 50% value up through 100%
Metamagic Spell Trigger (Su): At 6th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (generally a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell. For example, an artificer can quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item. An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges, such as prayer beads.
Metamagic Spell Completion (Su): At 11th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell completion item (generally a scroll). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell completion item he is using. The DC for the Use Magic Device check is equal to 20 + (3 × the modified level of the spell). For example, applying the Empower Spell feat to a scroll of cone of cold, creating a 7th-level effect, has a DC of 20 + (3 × 7), or 41. An artificer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Int modifier.
Artifice Mastery: At 14th level, an artificer can take 10 when making a Spellcraft or Use Magic Device check, even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. This ability circumvents the normal rule that a character may not take 10 on a Use Magic Device check.
I feel like there's too much going on at lower levels and not enough at higher levels, and I need a capstone ability. I also feel like there are probably too many features and it would be too powerful, but I'm not sure what to shave off or nerf. Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or critiques are more than welcome.
I just recently started playing in a game, a friend of mine is DMing for myself and 3 others. I made my character a few weeks ago using his preferred method, rolling 3 sets of stats using 3d6 x6, placed as you want, and picking the best.
I thought I did pretty well, as before racial modifiers I had 17 16 14 13 10 10. All things considered, it was a very playable block. I show up at the table, though, to find that (before modifiers) the other players had 'rolled' (in front of the DM, he insisted) at least two 18s EACH.
The fighter of the group has two 18s and a 17, even. I did a little bit of math and found this to be statistically almost impossible, and asked him about it after the first session.
He insisted that they had used the same method, and in fact that he was surprised that my stats turned were so 'crappy' and apologized for my 'bad luck'. I presented him with the math and he was unmoved.
What would you do in a situation such as this, where the DM just seems to be either straight up lying and letting players use unrealistic stats, or doesn't understand how stat rolls work. Either way, the result is a moderately good character adventuring with demi-gods who seem to think that they are average and I'm gimped.
